


Travel (Mandy)

by Burgie



Series: SSOWeek April 2016 [20]
Category: Star Stable
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 08:05:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7793818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mandy needs a little help to make the journey over to South Hoof Peninsula.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Travel (Mandy)

Mandy looked at the boat of questionable seaworthiness. Not that she was any judge of seacraft above water. She’d never been on a boat before, let alone driven one. Well, she supposed that the ferries to Jarlaheim and Cape West counted as boats. But that was one driven by a seasoned ferry-driver. She assumed.

“Well, that boat is good to go. You can fuel her up now and be off,” said Elin.

“But-“ said Mandy. Yeah, what could she say? That she preferred to travel in her seal form? That she didn’t even know how to drive a boat? Or was it steer? She didn’t even know the proper terminology, and yet this woman trusted her to get all the way over to South Hoof in it. It was such a small boat, and surely Lemonpepper wouldn’t be able to fit in it.

“Oh, you don’t have fuel? Well, ask James at Fort Pinta, he might know where you can get some,” said Elin.

“Okay,” said Mandy, and rode back up to where the younger version of her uncle stood near the stables.

“Are you back already?” asked James.

“No,” said Mandy. “I need fuel.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t have any,” said James. “And I certainly can’t afford any.”

 _“Yes you can, you stingy little shit,”_ Mandy thought to herself.

“I guess I can ask Steve for some,” said Mandy with a sigh. 

“Oh yeah! Steve can give you free fuel since you’ve helped him out a lot. Not that that’s a very good business idea, but his loss is my gain,” said James. “Go ask him for some.”

“I swear, how the hell can mama be related to someone so awful?” Mandy asked nobody in particular as she rode to Steve’s farm.

When Mandy got the fuel for Steve, she also left some Jorvik Shillings with it. James might be stingy, but she was definitely not.

Minutes later, Mandy had the boat fuelled up and ready to go but she was still no less worried. If anything, worry gnawed at her stomach now that she had nothing else to delay her journey. An odd snatch of tune entered her head and she hummed it, trying to calm herself. With that small bit of courage, she pushed the boat off away from the dock and began to drift over towards the peninsula.

 _“Do not be afraid, my child. I will protect you,”_ said a gentle female voice. Mandy jerked to attention, almost tipping the boat over and startling her horse.

“W-who said that?” asked Mandy, her arms trembling.

 _“I will not harm you,”_ said the voice again. _“I am your grandmother, in a manner of speaking.”_

“Grandmother? But mum doesn’t have a mother, and I’m pretty sure that mama’s mother is still alive in this time,” said Mandy.

 _“Oh, but she does. She is a child of the ocean,”_ said the voice.

“Wait… are you the ocean?” asked Mandy. “But how can you talk to me?”

 _“I can always feel when one of my own is in distress,”_ said the ocean. _“You need not fear me, child. I will ensure you safe passage to the peninsula, and anywhere else you choose to go.”_

“O-okay,” said Mandy, still trembling. “I wish I could’ve swum over in my seal form, but if Uncle James found out what I was, he’d sell me or my pelt for thousands of star coins.”

 _“I know,”_ said the ocean. _“It is the bane of existence for many of my children, this quest for money by the humans."_

“Can you talk to me while I travel?” asked Mandy. “Tell me about… anything, I guess.”

 _“I can sing to you,”_ said the ocean.

“That would be very helpful, thank you,” said Mandy. She closed her eyes as the ocean’s strange melody soothed her.


End file.
